After adding Kylian Mbappe to a front line that already included Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes, the next two areas of the squad to reload this summer transfer window are the deep lying midfield and the defense.
Real Madrid landed Dean Huijsen to play center back last summer, but his signing has proven insufficient. The Merengues still have question marks in central defense, especially whenever Eder Militao goes down with a serious injury, which happened again in December when he tore his hamstring.
As Real Madrid plan their revolution, one player who seemed more out than in coming into the season has changed his fortunes. The narrative around Antonio Rudiger these days is that he will continue with Los Merengues into the next season, and El Mundo's Abraham P. Romero backs that up in a new report, writing that the German international is close to renewing his deal with Real.
Antonio Rudiger is close to a renewal
Meanwhile, the other veteran center back in the buliding, David Alaba, is going to leave. Like with Rudiger renewing, Alaba leaving comes as no surprise - perhaps even less so - and the two go hand in hand Because as Real Madrid ponder adding more young center backs to a building that already includes Dean Huijsen, Raul Asencio, and Joan Martinez (he is in Castilla for now), they do need one highly experienced player.
Alaba and Rudiger have both won Champions League titles for Real Madrid as centerpiece players in wins in 2021/22 and 2023/24, respectively. But between the two of them, Rudiger has more to give. Rudiger has his disciplinary issues, and anybody pretending he is a world class center back is bound to be disappointed.
But Alaba's knees are shot at this point, and besides passing and a basis for build up against less nimble opponents, he is a liability nowadays. It is best to move on. Rudiger is great against the physical matchups and certain striker profiles, and he has qualities that are difficult to replicate.
Real Madrid are going to have to upgrade Rudiger sooner rather than later, but he is a stopgap optoin that should be easy enough to keep, though his wages will be a topic of concern for many Madridistas who are rightfully not fully convinced by him as a regular starter. But as the fourth man to Militao, Huijsen, and a new signing, it makes sense for Real to keep him at a fair price. Alaba, meanwhile, should be thanked for his service and the fond memories.